Trump's unprecedented $347MILLION 'mountain of cash' plan gives Republicans a glimmer of hope for midterm elections... as GOP targets key Democrat 'weak spot'

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 06:44, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 06:59, 16 May 2026 The GOP is set to unlock a $347 million campaign war chest and put Donald Trump on the road in a bid to save their majority in both houses of Congress.  While redistricting could still change the nature of the race, the Democrats are still favored to win back the House of Representatives, with Polymarket giving them a 79 percent chance. With the economy and the Iran War weighing heavy on voters minds, Republicans hope the funds, from a Trump-aligned political action committee, can be used to remind people of the risks they say the Democrats pose to the country's financial health.   The argument on behalf of Republicans will be that an already unpopular Democrat Party will make it even harder for anything to get done to improve the economy - sending the blunt message that 'putting Democrats in power will lead to gridlock', according to the Wall Street Journal. They will also lean on Democrats' weaknesses on the southern border and Joe Biden's disastrous immigration policies that help Trump get elected in the first place.  'You want to remind voters how bad Democrats are, and the numbers indicate voters are in a mood to accept that,' GOP pollster Neil Newhouse told the WSJ. The paper also described the potential financial contribution as a 'mountain of cash.' However, Newhouse admitted that will be a challenge while the GOP also remains unpopular on the key issues. 'Until we see some settling down of inflation and gas prices coming down, that is what Americans are going to be focused on,' Newhouse said.    The GOP is set to unlock a $347million campaign war chest and put Donald Trump on the road in a bid to save their majority in both houses of Congress With the economy and the Iran War weighing heavy on voters minds, Republicans hope the funds, from a Trump-aligned political action committee, can be used to remind people of the risks they say the Democrats pose to the country's financial health  They will also try and remind voters of some of the key accomplishments of the second Trump term: his tax cuts which were virulently opposed by Democrats and tax breaks for seniors and ending taxes on tips.  Earlier this week, left-wing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told New York Magazine her plan to beat back Republicans at the polls.  She believes Democrats should pitch a progressive 'affordability' agenda similar to the one proposed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, endorsed by 100 of AOC's fellow progressives.  'It's the Progressive Caucus's pitch on the party's plan. What it signifies is that the party is making a turn towards really seeing that these proposals that maybe a long time ago were seen as radical are actually pretty common sense, and they're not just things that are supported by Democrats,' she said.  She admits that the party has taken a huge hit in PR lately and needs to do a lot of work to come off as more normal.  'We gotta' fight for people, and we gotta' speak English in a way that people understand. We, as a party, have a lot of catching up to do.'  Republicans are hoping to target key swing Senate seats, as they currently only maintain a 56 percent chance of retaining control of the upper chamber.  Senate races in North Carolina, Maine, Michigan and Georgia are said to be a focus, as well as 29 key House races nationwide as part of a 'MAGA Majority' program. Earlier this week, left-wing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured) announced her plan to beat back Republicans at the polls She believes Democrats should pitch a progressive 'affordability' agenda similar to the one proposed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (pictured), endorsed by 100 of AOC's fellow progressives They will be hoping that MAGA Inc, a Trump-aligned super PAC, will unleash all of the $34 7million at their disposal.  'MAGA Inc is committed to retaining and building the GOP majorities in the House and Senate,' spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said, responding to Republican worries that Trump will hold onto that cash for other use.  Sources have told WSJ that Trump has occasionally said in private that he does not care about the outcome of the midterms due to frustration with the GOP not backing his agenda enough.  However, a person familiar with the midterm plans said Trump will have at least 30 campaign dates with various candidates ahead of the election.  Susie Wiles said late last year that the president will 'campaign like its 2024' this year to prevent his party from a disaster in the midterm elections. The Republican National Committee had $116 million in cash at the end of March while their Democratic opposites had just $14 million.  The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.  There are also still plans for a midterm Republican convention in September in Dallas to help promote candidates.   The Republican Party has repeatedly performed better with the president on the ballot than without but with his popularity on the wane, it could be a high-stakes ploy.  A person familiar with the midterm plans said Trump will have at least 30 campaign dates with various candidates ahead of the election Defending long-time Maine incumbent Senator Susan Collins' seat is among the GOP's biggest midterm priorities In 2016 and 2024, Trump at the top of the ticket led to the GOP controlling the White House and both houses of Congress. Even in 2020, when Trump lost to Joe Biden, his presence on the ticket held the Democrats to a bare minimum majority in the Senate and a nine-seat lead in the House. Without Trump on the ballot in 2018, the Democrats gained over 40 seats in the House, while they prevented a predicted 'red wave' in 2022 by gaining a Senate seat.  Wiles' solution is to make sure Trump is leading the ticket in 2026 by drawing in voters who don't traditionally participate in off-year elections.  The entire House of Representatives are up for election in 2026, while 35 seats in the Senate are open due to JD Vance and Marco Rubio departing to join the Trump administration.  The Republicans have to defend 22 seats to the Democrats' 13, with Maine and North Carolina seen as particularly vulnerable to being flipped. Though the Democrats need to flip four Republican seats to take back the Senate, Wiles is concerned enough by recent electoral results to make sure Trump is a huge part of the midterm push.  'Because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters. And we saw a week ago Tuesday what happens when he's not on the ballot and not active,' Wiles said. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (pictured) remains bullish on the Democrats' chances to win the midterms Trump himself told Fox Friday that the Iran War, not the economy or redistricting, will determine the result of the midterms  Trump himself told Fox Friday that the Iran War, not the economy or redistricting, will determine the result of the midterms.  'I think a bigger difference would be if I win quickly [in Iran], as opposed to after [the elections], but again, I'm not going to let the election determine what's going to happen with respect to Iran, because they cannot have a nuclear weapon,' he said.  However, he did admit that getting gas prices down would help.   'A bigger difference would be if that price went down. Look, prices are down, but the energy caused it to go up, and I said to my people, ''I hate to do this to you, but I'm going to screw up your numbers for a little while, because we have to stop the nuclear weapon stuff with Iran.'' 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